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image from www.epasa.comSee also:
Here are an old Coat of Arms and
the shield.
Fred Drews, 21 November 1999
From www.pa/patria/simbolos.html:
The National coat-of-arms was designed by Mr. Nicanor Villalaz
with the help of his brother Sebastián Villalaz. (see here)
Jarig Bakker and Santiago Dotor , 13 December
1999
This image of unclear origin is outdated. Pedersen [ped71], as well as [smi75] and [udk97], shows NINE STARS above
the shield, corresponding to the nine provinces in which the
country is divided. There are now also three indigenous
districts, including the "Comarca de San Blas", a.k.a.
"Kuna Yala" inhabited by the Cunas
Indians .
The description of the arms is in [smi75]:
"'For the Benefit of the World' [Pro Mundi Beneficio]
proclaims the motto of Panama, referring to the canal which
divides the country physically but provides it with a substantial
portion of the national income. The arms incorporate other
symbols as well. The civil wars of the past, represented by saber
and rifle, have given way to the tools of peaceful labour,
promising the prosperity and progress symbolized by the
cornucopia and winged wheel. The sun and moon both appear in the
central panel of the shield to indicate that independence was
achieved at the hour of twilight. The green background of the
coat of arms (official, but rarely shown) is a reminder of the
nation's tropical vegetation."
[udk97] has again a problem with
colours: in the image of the arms, the red and blue stars are
inversed in regard of the image above and [smi75] image!
Ivan Sache , 26 December 1999
The coat of arms from www.epasa.com is
incorrect. The coat of arms From www.pa/patria/simbolos.html
is correct. According to panama.mipueblo.net (defunct),
the coat of arms "was adopted by Law 64 of 4 June of 1904
signed by the President of Assembly Dr Genaro Ortega, and
sanctioned by the President of the Republic, Dr Manuel Amador
Guerrero..."
"From a careful investigation comes off that the first
sketch of the coat of arms, devised by his author, Don Nicanor
Villalaz, was drawn by Don Ricardo Miró that in addition to
being a poet, was a fan of drawing. The second sketch, from which
the cannon and the gun carriage, the sickle and the machete, the
handful of ears and the cluster of banana trees were suppressed,
and replaced the train for a winged wheel, was painted by
professor Max Lemm, German artist resident in Panama....
"The coat of arms approved in 1904, and that since then it
was used officially, has the following description:
"It rests on a green field, symbol of the vegetation; it is
of pointed form and it is intervened as far as the division. The
center shows the Isthmus with its seas and sky, in which the moon
begins to rise above the waves and the sun begins to hide behind
the mountain, marking thereby the solemn hour of the declaration
of our independence. The head is divided in two quarters: in the
one of the right hand, in the silver field, a sword and a gun are
hung meant as abandonment for always to the civil wars, causes of
our ruin; in the one of the left-hand side, and on field of
gules, a crossed shovel and a grub hoe are shown shining, to
symbolize the work "
"The end of the coat of arms also is divided in two
quarters: the one of the right-hand side, in blue field, shows a
cornucopia, emblem of the wealth; and the one of the left-hand
side, in field of silver, the winged wheel, symbol of the
progress. Behind the shield and covering it with his opened
wings, is the eagle, emblem of the sovereignty, the head turned
towards the left, and takes in the tip a silver tape, which hangs
from right to left. On the tape the following motto is printed
"Pro Mundi Beneficio "
"On the eagle, in arc form, seven gold stars go in
representation of the provinces in which the Republic is divided.
Like decorative accessories, to each side of the coat of arms two
gathered national flags go on the other hand below"
For thirty-seven years the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Panama
was not changed until the Constitution of 1941 was promulgated.
The National Assembly dictated in March of this year Law 28 on
the Coat of Arms, in which the following reforms were introduced:
the saber and the gun are meant as attitude of alert in defense
of our sovereignty, in the place of "abandonment to mean
good bye to the civil wars ". 311 projects
appeared to change the motto and the Jury named to make the
selection decided for: "Solo Dios sobre Nosotros" (Only
God Above Us). Nevertheless, the National Assembly when approving
the Law 28 already referred to, rejected it and preferred the one
of "Justice, Honor and Freedom ". Five years
later, in 1946, Panama returned to the old symbol with the
well-known motto of "Pro Mundi Beneficio ".
Alvaro Aguilar, 31 August 2001
The National coat of Arms was conceived by Don Nicanor Villalaz, prominent
lawyer, but was drawn by his artist brother, Don Sebastian Villalaz. The
original canvas bears his signature.
My source for this information is Doña Carmen Villalaz de Wolff, granddaughter
of Don Nicanor Villalaz, niece of Don Sebastian, who witnessed the event
personally.
Don Nicanor was one of the key conspirators in the secession from Colombia,
along with several others, and risked execution for treason had the conspiracy
succeeded, and on his office typewriter the final draft of the declaration of
independence from Colombia and proclamation of the new Republic of Panama as a
sovereign state, was typed.
My great-grandfather Don Carlos A. Mendoza drafted the declaration, and who
tried to help, with little success, at changing the typewriter ribbon
spool when the old one gave out in mid-.”Damn!-
the-Colombians-are-coming-revolution!!”
The gentlemen that are mentioned as having drawn the coat of arms for Don
Nicanor, as well as the German whom you mentioned as modifying it, are names
totally unknown here in Panama, which is not to say that they did not exist
here, but it does raise the question regarding how a scarce one hundred years
later, no Panamanian has ever heard of them, after performing such valuable
services to the country.
Charles F. Brannan-Jaen, 20 July 2009
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